How the Democrats threw away their shot to topple Trumpism November 4, 2020 The US election has not delivered the Joe Biden landslide that many were anticipating. Instead, the Democratic candidate appears to be limping towards a narrow Electoral College victory, which may well end up in the courts. Even if The Donald is beaten, he is hardly vanquished, and the Democrats also look like they’ve failed to [...]
Why has Donald Trump done much better than Europeans expected — again? November 4, 2020 As was the case four years ago, most media outlets in Europe have been predicting a massive victory for the Democrats. Now the election results are much tighter than expected. Why? Well, among lots of Europeans it was the wish for an overwhelming victory for Joe Biden that shaped the narrative. The majority of western [...]
The curse of the Mail-In Vote: How this contested US election became a horror show November 4, 2020 For a number of months now, good political risk man that I am, I have worried aloud in these pages with increasing dread about the 2020 US presidential election. There are times when you hate being right about making correct political risk calls. The Iraq War debacle was surely such an occasion for me. Sadly, [...]
How ‘following the science’ has let our country down November 4, 2020 If I were to be diagnosed with a malignant tumour, I would expect my doctors to lay out for me the alternative treatment options, how each would affect my quality of life, its impact on survival or potential cure and, as far as is knowable, all the other potential costs and benefits. I would listen [...]
Lockdown 2.0: A creative destruction revolution, or the death knell of innovation? November 4, 2020 So Boris Johnson has failed to follow his own government’s guidelines on cost-benefit appraisal. Study after study by economists show that the costs of lockdown far exceed the benefits. The NHS — the “envy of the world” — has conspicuously failed to develop sufficient capacity to deal with a second wave, despite having had months [...]
Forget the drama of Succession and The Godfather — family businesses can be a great investment November 4, 2020 Companies with big family stakes are notorious for rows over ownership, control and succession — not to mention nepotism. Accordingly, existing Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) ratings mark them down on governance, discouraging anyone looking to invest for responsible growth. But if you dig a little deeper, there are good reasons to invest in them. [...]
Trump or Biden: Who would be better for the UK? November 3, 2020 Trump or Biden: Who would be better for the UK? JOIN THE DEBATE Sarah Elliott, chair of Republicans Overseas UK, says TRUMP When I turn the radio tomorrow morning, I hope that the BBC will announce a victory for President Donald J. Trump — and not just for America, but for the sake of the [...]
After four years, Trump has yet to master the art of the diplomatic deal November 3, 2020 “We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country,” Donald Trump urged crowds at a campaign rally in Indiana, months before his surprise 2016 election victory. As America once more heads to the polls today, the rest of the world can only stand by and watch. And while Joe Biden appears to be leading, [...]
The view from outside the echo chamber: Working from home isn’t working November 3, 2020 After much speculation, a second national lockdown is here. For many, this is an extension of effectively nine months already spent working from home. However, some businesses are taking this a step further, by asking people to stay at home until the end of 2021, moving jobs to secondary cities, and even advertising for new remote-only [...]
CEOs, take note: Hygiene is now a boardroom issue November 3, 2020 The history of business is full of inflection points. Some are instantly easy to recognise, and fatal for non-innovators: the iPhone surpassed and killed the once ubiquitous Blackberry, while digital streaming rendered Blockbuster obsolete. Others are more gradual and harder to see. Entertainment venues, for example, took anti-smoking legislation in their stride and transformed, while [...]